Certain cars have that one model of wheel that just…works. The one that pairs perfectly with them and looks right at home when bolted to the hubs. The other way to look at this is of course to call it overdone, but these pairings become common for a reason.
For the Mk3 Foci, that wheel is of course fifteen52’s Tarmac. Obviously we’ve had a handful of these on various cars over the years – sometimes the same set moving from car to car – and even Derrick’s old Camaro wore some for a while, but now another car has joined the Tarmac gang with a set that was shipped in over the winter.
As the title and cover photo revealed the car in question would be Yolanda’s ST, shown here sporting a semi-summer mode as a few pieces have yet to go on since we’re still in a transition period between car season and waiting-for-car-season season.
You may recall that prior to these new shoes Yolanda’s ST was already sporting some fifteen52s in the form of my old Turbomacs. Measuring in at 18×9 +42, they filled the arches extremely well but weren’t really what you’d call aggressive. This new set however, is…
That’s because this wasn’t a new set of Tarmacs but rather an older set, from back when 9.5″ wide pieces were offered! They had to be shipped all the way from Tennessee but the opportunity to own some of the wide Tarmacs was too good to pass up. With a +40 offset they’re even more aggressive than Mustard’s pieces and when viewed from the front, the change from the former Turbomacs is immediately obvious.
Along with the new fitment, Yolanda now also has the benefit of wheels that are easier to clean given the simple five spoke design. STs and their brake dust, you know how it is.
On the topic of design, with the car’s livery now updated for the season as well (note the addition of pink along some of the pre-existing stripes) switching to a wheel that has less going on is a nice way to keep the car from looking too busy.
The tires – in case anyone was curious – are some Yokohama Advans in the OE 235/40R18 sizing, perfect for wheels in these specs to avoid any rubbing. On that note, while you can technically fit 10s on a stock body Mk3 by that point you’re really having to play with camber and tires to squeeze them in. 9.5s on the other hand fit as much wheel as possible under the car without having to do anything crazy.
And last but not least, as the final detail for the new setup some fifteen52 valve stems were also fitted to match.
Yolanda seems extremely happy with the new shoes so far and it’s easy to see why. I’m glad she was able to scoop them up – especially given their specs – and with her car being white to begin with they look even more at home. And yes, we are of course planning to get her ST alongside Mustard for some photos this year! Call it unimaginative all you want, they just work. These are the wheels for this platform.
-Bill